No longer relegated to Chi Chi’s and Mighty Taco, we Western New Yorkers have plenty of options when it comes to going South of the Border. However, there are still pockets of our area that are in need of a good sit-down, Mexican-influenced cantina.
The new Fiesta Bamba in Hamburg neatly fills in one of those pockets, and the restaurant happily gets all the details right, from the food to the drinks to the décor.
So, how can you tell if Fiesta Bamba—or any other Mexican restaurant — is worth it’s salt? According to Fiesta Bamba manager Jearim Fuertes, you shouldn’t just judge a libro by its cover.
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“Honestly, I love Mexican food and we have a lot of great options here in Western New York,” Jearim says. “But when I’ve gone on vacations Down South, some of the best-looking Mexican restaurants don’t have good food. It can be a little deceiving.”
“There’s no substitute for going to a restaurant and trying it yourself,” she recommends. “You have to see if it’s up to par and meets your expectations.”
This isn’t to suggest that the new Fiesta Bamba doesn’t look good. When you walk in, you’re struck by the brilliant décor, featuring vibrant Latin pastels and low-key mid-century vibes. At one end of the restaurant, a small L-shaped bar looks inviting and made for chatting up strangers over frozen margaritas.
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You’re also in expert hands when you walk into Fiesta Bamba. The Hamburg restaurant is the second Fiesta Bamba location, with the first being a runaway success located in Springville. The menu at the Hamburg location is almost completely the same as the Springville menu. There are Tex-Mex classics like tacos, burritos, fajitas, and enchiladas. A few seafood platters at the Hamburg location is the only difference between the two menus.
“We wanted to have a different menu for Hamburg, but ultimately we went with almost the same menu,” Jearim says. “I know there’s a lot of Tex-Mex in Western New York and not a lot of authentic Mexican. I think once people get familiar with our Tex-Mex food, we’ll slowly start offering more Mexican dishes.”
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Nothing goes better with Tex-Mex than a cold margarita or Mexican beer. The new Fiesta Bamba does have a full bar with 10 different types of margaritas and about just as many Mexican beers. The bar also serves up classic mixed drinks like Bloody Marys, Long Island Iced Teas, and Mojitos.
Between the drinks, the décor and the food, the new Fiesta Bamba has all the vibes you’d want in a Hamburg spot. Given that it’s so appealing, expect this Tex-Mex cantina to get pretty lively during a certain couple of weeks in August.
“The fairgrounds are right next door,” notes Jearim. “We anticipate that it’s gonna get pretty busy here during the fair. We hope to be running pretty smoothly by then and prepared for it.”
Hours at time of publishing (Subject to change): Daily 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
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